The APC Deputy National Organising Secretary, Chief Nze Chidi Duru (Right) and Edo Governorship Aspirant, Gideon Ikhine at the party headquarters on Friday
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An All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant vying for the number one position in the September 21, 2024 election in Edo state, Gideon Ikhine, says he will transform the state into a destination of first choice in Africa if given the opportunity to lead.
Ikhine spoke to journalists shortly after submitting his Nomination and Expression of Interest forms at the APC headquarters in Abuja on Friday.
The aspirant who described Edo state geographical location as very strategic, said the state must be governed by one who is ready to transform it and grow its economy.
“Edo State today is situated geographically in one of the best zones in Africa. Edo State is like a hub. You cannot go to the East, West and North without passing through Edo State.
“Every person is running to become governor. Do they have programs? Do they understand the geography of the state? Do they know how they are going to transform the state from where it used to be to where it should be today? So, to think of becoming the governor of Edo state, you must first think of how to grow the economy,” he said.
Ikhine christened his campaign ‘Beacon of Hope’ stating that his programme is designed to restore hope to the people of the state and ease their sufferings.
In his words, “An average citizen in Edo State today barely exists. They are not living. We must give these people hope. We must give them a life. When we christened our campaign, there is a reason we christened it ‘The Beacon of Hope’. We need to re-establish the beacon that made it what it was.
“Are we where we are supposed to be? No. What is the value we have as a state? The value we have today as a name is the Benin Kingdom. How have we been able to take advantage of the name to transform it into socio-economic value for the people? We have not done that. This are some of the things we want to do. Focusing on tourism and rebuilding our infrastructure.
“Government have no cash to give to people but they can provide a platform for our people to be rich. That is where I come in. Today Edo State is in debt. How are you going to pay the debt? Where are you going to get the money from?”.
Aside Tourism, the governorship aspirant said he will invest in Agriculture for the benefit of the people of the state.
“Agriculture outside tourism is going to be one area we are going to focus on. And in focusing on Agriculture, we are going to look at food crops and cash crops. We are going to be looking at ranching, that is cattle rearing. And we are going to look at farming. These are things that can provide basic needs for people. And if we are going into Agriculture this will help us to develop smart cities around Edo State.
“If you look at Edo State geographical history, the names and cities you have been hearing since 1963 are still the same cities you are hearing of. They cannot go any further rather they are deteriorating. So we are going to create smart cities because you build smart cities through agriculture. Those of you that have been to Europe, if you go to Europe, you will know what is called city centre. You will see what is called industrial area. All the city centres in Europe were developed by the Jewish people and they were created out of farm. That is why if you look at the Israeli type of farming you will see the cubits system. Men develop forest and pit there to transform it into cities and towns. We are going to do this.
“Why are we focusing on food? If you look at your Google, you will discover today, Lagos consume 4.6b of food daily. Ibadan almost 2b daily. Onitsha 3.6b daily. This is what people consume daily. So as a state we want to be able to provide enough food for our people and be able to feed the neighbouring states. There is really no land in Lagos to farm. Here, our land is fertile. So why can’t we take advantage of it? Why can’t we think of going into mechanised farming and put people there? The richest people you have in Europe and America are farmers. Why do they have that interest? They have the basic needs wherever they are as farmers”, he added.
